Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4 ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – UT Tyler bounced back from two Friday defeats to open the season with two impressive wins Saturday at the Reddie-Tiger Invitational.
 
The Patriots, who lost in four sets to Friday's host Ouachita Baptist and lost in three sets to Lone Star Conference rival St. Edward's, bounced back for a three-set sweep Saturday against Mississippi College before closing out the weekend with an impressive five-set win over Saturday's host Henderson State.
 
With the tournament split, UT Tyler starts its first season as an NCAA Division II provisional program with a 2-2 record.

All-Tournament: Kylee Becker and Christina Escamilla were both selected to the All-Tournament team. Over the four-match tournament, Becker compiled a team-high 48 kills and .313 attack percentage, to go with 38 digs and 5 service aces, while Escamilla had a pair of matches with double-digit kills to finish with 26 kills and 7 blocks.
 
Match 1 vs. Ouachita Baptist (L, 1-3: 25-22, 25-14, 22-25, 25-22): Sophomore transfer Christina Escamilla notched a team-high 11 kills in the season opener, and the Patriots posted 12 team blocks in the four-set defeat. Sophomore middle blocker Hattie Murray had a hand in six of those 12 blocks with two solo blocks and four assists. Sophomore Savannah Guzman was the match digs leader with 25.
 
Match 2 vs. St. Edward's (L, 0-3: 25-20, 25-23, 25-19): Freshman outside hitter Kylee Becker led all hitters with 15 kills, and she registered a team-high .333 hitting percentage in an efficient offensive performance. She also had a match-high 24 service receptions with only one reception error, and she also notched six digs.  Senior Kyana Alvarez was the Patriots' dig leader with 12, and sophomore setter Taylor Stoops served two aces.
 
Match 3 vs. Mississippi College (W, 3-0: 25-14, 25-20, 25-22): UT Tyler raced out to an early lead with 14 kills and a blistering .385 attack percentage in a 25-14 opening-set win over Mississippi College.  The Patriots finished the match at .292, notching 42 kills against just 16 errors, and they served to an 11-4 advantage in aces.  Senior middle blocker Kayla McCoy led the way with four aces, and Stoops added three, as five different Patriots registered at least one service ace.  Senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Budisalovich and freshman outside hitter Kylee Becker led the offense with a match-high 12 kills each, and Hattie Murray and Maiya Peña notched four blocks each.
 
Match 4 vs. Henderson State (W, 3-2: 25-23, 26-28, 20-25, 25-14, 15-12): After falling behind, two sets to one, UT Tyler stormed back for a 25-14 win in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth set. The Patriots posted an attack percentage over .400 over the final two sets of the match, and Budisalovich led a group of four Patriots with double-digit kills as she notched a match-high 15 kills.  Kayla McCoy, Christina Escamilla, and Kylee Becker finished with 12 kills each. Savannah Guzman matched her opening-match season-high with 25 digs, and Maiya Peña posted six blocks.
 
What's Next: UT Tyler is on the road for another four-game weekend tournament next weekend (Sept. 13-14) at Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Okla.  The Patriots' 2019 home opener is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20, which is also its Lone Star Conference opener, against Texas A&M International.